What a whirl wind trip we have had so far! Each night has taken us to a new church with fabulous congregations. For the most part we have been in fairly rural areas, playing for small congregations. Our musical ministry has been very well received.
We performed Saturday evening and again Sunday morning in Highland Heights, Kentucky. One gentleman, talking with Terry and I, commented that he was "positive if he could hear the bells ringing in heaven, what he heard from us would be it!"
Duff Street UMC in Clarksburg, West Virginia, is facing huge decisions regarding the condition of the building they worship in. One section of the building is shifting causing cracks in the walls. It is a very old structure on the Historical list in the community, the stained glass windows are exquisite. The decision they will need to make soon is whether or not they can afford to repair the building, or if it will need to be torn down to make room for a new one. Yet with the storm building around their personal needs, they still found time to tie a prayer quilt for us, which they presented at the concert. People are absolutely amazing in their ability to hold other's up while navigating difficult waters themselves.
Today we were able to play tourist a little for the first time. We visited the great city of Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. We were able to visit Independence Hall and see where the Declaration of Independence was signed. During the day we visited Ben Franklin's grave, Christ's Church (where we were impressed with the fellow talking about being a part of living History), Betsy Ross's home, walked through history in the visitor's center, and then stopped off in the Constitution Center museum to hear and see more about what our constitution allows us as citizens of the United States.
Our concert this evening was in Christina's family's area. Her parents and relatives along with almost 300 people cheered us on through our evening performance. It is nice to see familiar faces at this point in our trip. It helps stave off some of the homesickness that is starting to set in.
Tomorrow we will visit the Malmark factory, which is where our bells are manufactured.
Stay tuned,
Tracey
4 comments:
Tracey: Send photos to lmontgom@aol.com and I will post. Dianne
Greetings All Ringers, Terry & Chaps,
Glad to hear the tour is going well...once you got past the floods.
Really looking forward to seeing you guys on the CBS Early Show on Friday. Remember to smile!
Keep blogging and we'll keep reading.
Greetings from Clarksburg, WV --
It was such a pleasure to have your group visit our church. We were blessed with an awesome performance.
I hope the weather and road construction have been cooperating and you have been able to do some sightseeing between your performances. I imagine NYC will be a highlight today.
Hi, Tracey, Hilary & Heather -- Hope you have been able to stop at some more Starbucks!
You have been in my thoughts and prayers as you continue on your journey.
Blessings -- Carolyn Green
While playing your CD on my computer, I just came back to our home in Huntertown,Indiana where we heard you kids concert, the most injoyable evening I've had in years. May God Bless all of you kids and everyone who has in this wonderful Bell choir. The Watersons
By the way,when you make a DVD of the kids, I would like one!
Post a Comment